Sure, the guy is as old as dirt, but why did he ever consider retiring with so much fuel left in the tank and so much oomph left in his right arm?
Much to the chagrin of the Yankees, Clemens is 7-0 in Houston, where baseball is as hot as it has ever been. The All-Star Game this year is in Houston, and National League manager Jack McKeon already is assuming Clemens will be the starting pitcher.
"Do you know how lucky you are to be seeing what you're seeing out here?" Astros manager Jimy Williams said. "You have to cherish these moments and see what's happening. It's very special, and it's happening in Houston."
By the way, the Marlins made a bid to sign Clemens in the offseason, but not to be a starter. They didn't talk to Clemens directly, but he did get the message.
"I was made aware of it," Clemens said. "I think they wanted me to be a closer is what (owner) Mr. (Jeffrey) Loria said. Yeah, they wanted me to close."
That was a good idea in December. With Clemens' 7-0 start, the thought of him working out the bullpen now seems laughable.
BECK IS BACK: San Diego reliever Rod Beck has been out since spring training because of personal problems. But he is back in extended spring training and could join the Padres this week.
Beck was 20-for-20 in save situations last season filling in for Trevor Hoffman and was supposed to be Hoffman's set-up man this season. Instead, he will work long relief because Akinori Otsuka has entrenched himself as the setup reliever with a 3-1 record, one save and a 1.06 ERA.
"I'm not moving Aki," manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's done too good of a job. We're going too good with the way we're going."
REY OF HOPE: Former Devil Rays shortstop Rey Ordonez has landed with the Cubs. He has been assigned to Triple-A Iowa, but soon could be with the big team. Alex Gonzalez is out with a shoulder injury, and Ordonez is too good defensively to stay in the minors too long.
"I know he can pick it," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "I couldn't understand why he was out of the game. I think that was his own choice, not to back up (the Padres') Khalil Greene. But at the time he made that decision (with the Padres before spring), that's the toughest time to catch on with anybody, too."
HOOP DREAMS: Third baseman Aaron Boone, rehabilitating the anterior cruciate ligament he tore playing basketball last winter, thinks he can play baseball in the next two months.
He said he has heard from at least 15 teams, and it's believed one is the Rays. The Yankees have contacted him, but the one team he would like to play for has not: his original team. "I would definitely be open to coming back to the Reds," Boone said.
THE LONG RUN: Marlins pitcher A.J. Burnett, out since April 2003 with arm trouble, is on track to return June 2. He will throw in an extended spring game this week and in a Class A game May 23. After another minor-league start or two, he could get the call he has been waiting for.
"This is the last mile of the marathon," Burnett said.
SEEING RED: Remember last offseason when it looked as if longtime Reds shortstop Barry Larkin was going to leave Cincinnati? In fact, the Rays were interested in bringing him to Tampa Bay. Larkin eventually re-signed with the Reds after a little guidance from a surprising source. Expos manager Frank Robinson advised Larkin to stay with the Reds.
"All I did with Barry Larkin was sit down and talk with him," Robinson said. "I gave him some choices. I asked him what he really wanted to do. Did he want to continue to play and where he wanted to play? He said Cincinnati. And I said, "Go get it done. There's no reason for you to go anywhere else at this stage of your career.' He should be a Cincinnati Red his whole career. At this late date (of his career), it makes no sense running off for a couple of dollars."
SIX PACK: The Mariners' Edgar Martinez last week became the sixth player since 1900 with at least 300 homers, 500 doubles, 1,000 walks, a .300 average and a .400 on-base percentage. The other five are Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams, all members of the Hall of Fame.
RICHES TO RAGS: Last year, Kansas City rookie Mike MacDougal made the All-Star team. If he makes an All-Star team this season, it will be in Triple A.
MacDougal, whose ERA has ballooned to 10.80, was shipped out to the minors last week. He still hasn't recovered from a stomach ailment that put him three weeks behind in spring training.
"It's unfortunate," he said. "I couldn't pitch as well as I would like to. When I first got here, I probably wasn't ready to be here. But I feel pretty good now, so I'm kind of disappointed. I feel like my arm is coming around pretty well. I thought I was pretty close." The Royals expect him back soon.
"He's my closer," Royals manager Tony Pena said. "For us to win the Central ... I need to have MacDougal as my closer."
DEEP IN PITCHING: The draft is less than a month away (June 7), and it appears as if pitchers will dominate the early picks.
"It's heavy with pitchers," Tigers director of scouting Greg Smith told the Detroit Free Press. "And I think we're seeing that major-league teams can never have enough pitching."
The Padres have the first pick and are expected to take Long Beach State right-hander Jered Weaver, the brother of Dodgers pitcher Jeff. The Tigers go second and might take Justin Verlander, a 6-foot-4 right-hander from Old Dominion who can throw 100 mph.
SHORT HOPS: Entering the weekend, Tigers catcher Pudge Rodriguez had as many steals as stolen bases allowed. He was 3-for-3 in steals, and opposing runners were 3-for-7 against him. ... St. Petersburg native Jeff D'Amico of the Indians is 1-2 with a 7.92 ERA in seven starts and likely will head to the DL because of a sore back. ... The A's are interested in acquiring Boston reliever-turned-starter Byung-Hyun Kim. They would use him in the bullpen.
- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.
